DIY wooden barrel. Do-it-yourself oak barrel. Making an oak barrel with your own hands

DIY wooden barrel.  Do-it-yourself oak barrel.  Making an oak barrel with your own hands
DIY wooden barrel. Do-it-yourself oak barrel. Making an oak barrel with your own hands

What can be compared to, for example, a cucumber or a tomato pickled in an oak tub? And honey is perfectly stored in a linden barrel, Apple juice, you can cook kvass in it. Finally, an oak tub with a lemon or laurel tree today will not spoil the interior of even a city apartment. You just can’t find these simple products either in the store or on the market. But you can make a barrel yourself, and although this task is not an easy one, an amateur craftsman is quite capable of handling it.

Rivets

First of all, you need to choose wood. Oak and pine are not suitable for storing honey - honey darkens in an oak barrel, but in a pine barrel it smells like resin. Here we need linden, aspen, plane tree. Poplar, willow, and alder will also do. But for pickling, pickling or soaking, there is nothing better than oak - such a barrel will last for decades. For other needs, you can use sedge, beech, spruce, fir, pine, cedar, larch and even birch.

Usually used for rivets Bottom part trunks of old trees, it is called “riveter”. But a tinkerer will choose blanks from ordinary firewood and adapt a thin trunk to the job. It is best to make rivets from raw wood. First, the log - it should be 5-6 cm longer than the future rivet - is split in half, gently tapping the log on the butt of the ax. Each half is then again split into two parts and so on, depending on the thickness of the chock (Fig. 1), to ultimately obtain blanks 5-10 cm wide (for sweet clover - 15 cm) and 2.5-3 cm thick. You need Just try to ensure that the split goes radially - this will protect the riveting from cracking in the future.

The chopped pieces are dried in a room with natural ventilation at least a month. To speed up the process, you can use a dryer. The dried workpiece is processed with a plow or sherhebel and a plane. First, the outer surface of the riveting is planed. In this case, to check the curvature of the surface, you should make a template in advance (Fig. 2), cutting it out of a thin plank along the already finished product. Next they plan side surfaces, also checking their curvature against the template.

Riveting can be tubular - in which one end is wider than the other, and barrel - with an expansion in the middle. The magnitude of these expansions determines the taper of the tub and the convexity of the central part of the barrel. It is enough if the ratio between the widest and narrowest part of the riveting is 1.7-1.8 (Fig. 3).

Processing of the side surface is completed by jointing. It is more convenient to do this by moving the workpiece along the jointer (Fig. 4). At the next stage, we process the internal (in relation to the finished barrel) surface of the stave, cutting off excess wood with a plane or even an ax (Fig. 5). After this, the barrel stave can be considered ready, but the barrel stave still needs to be thinned to 12-15 mm in the middle (Fig. 6). Don’t be confused by the fact that the rivets can have different widths - we take the best we can from each piece.

Hoops

Barrel hoops are made of wood or steel. Wooden ones are not so durable, and they are a hundred times more hassle, so it is better to use steel ones. The hoops are made from hot-rolled steel strip with a thickness of 1.6-2.0 mm and a width of 30-50 mm.

Having measured the barrel at the place where the hoop is tensioned, we add double the width of the strip to this size. Using a hammer, we bend the workpiece into a ring, punch or drill holes and install rivets made of soft steel wire with a diameter of 4-5 mm (Fig. 7). One inner edge of the hoop must be flared by striking the pointed end of a hammer on a massive steel stand (Fig. 8).

Based on their location on the product, hoops are divided into fart hoops - the central hoop on the barrel, morning hoops - the outermost hoops, and neck hoops - the intermediate hoops.

Assembly

A grandmother brought a crumbling tub to a handyman with a request to put it back together. Tom had never had to do this before, but he did not refuse the old woman. I came up with the following: I threw a rope on the floor and laid out the rivets on it one after the other. Then he pressed them down with pillows and pulled the ends of the rope together. Gradually removing the pillows, I brought the outer rivets together and secured them with a hoop.

Coopers make it easier...

The product can be assembled for any flat surface. First, two rivets are attached to the hoop opposite each other with special staples bent from hoop iron (Fig. 9). Then, by attaching rivets to one of them, we will get to the other, which will tighten the assembled half of the barrel. Continue assembling until the rivets fill the entire perimeter of the hoop.

Lightly tapping the hoop with a hammer, we set it down and check whether the edges of the rivets meet tightly. To achieve contact between the rivets over the entire side surface, you need to add a rivet or pull out an extra one and then install a permanent hoop. By the way, if changing the number of rivets does not give the desired effect, you just need to narrow one of the rivets or replace the narrow one with a wider one.

Having leveled the ends of the frame with light blows of a hammer, put on the middle hoop and push it until it stops using a hammer (Fig. 10).

Having placed the frame on a flat surface, we describe the cut line with a pencil using a block (Fig. 11). Having installed the morning hoop, we cut off the frame 2-3 mm from it and clean the ends of the rivets with a plane. We do the same with the other end of the frame.

When making a keg, after attaching the onion, neck and morning hoop on one side, the other side must first be tightened. Coopers have for this special device- yoke. Home master can use cable, rope, chain or wire for the same purposes. You can tie a noose and gag it, or tighten the ends of the cable with a lever (Fig. 12).

There is no need to steam or boil the core, as some experts recommend, before tightening. Occasionally, however, it happens that the rivet does not bend along its entire length, but in one place and therefore cracks. However, in such cases the cooper will prefer to simply make a new stave.

Donya

The assembled frame is cleaned from the inside with a plane or sherhebel, and the ends of the frame are cleaned with a humpback plane (Fig. 13).

Now you need to make a groove in the frame (Fig. 14). The cutter of the tool can be made from hoop iron, or even better, from a saw blade. The depth and width of the groove should be 3 mm (Figure 15).

First, a bottom shield is assembled from a sweet clover with a planed outer side and jointed side surfaces (Fig. 16). The clover is fastened with nails, as shown in the figure, for which nests 15-20 mm deep are pre-drilled. The radius of the future bottom is found as the side of a regular hexagon inscribed in the circle of the morning groove on the frame of the barrel. However, you need to cut out the bottom with a margin, deviating from the intended circle by 1-1.5 mm. After cleaning with Sherhebel, chamfers are cut from the edge of the bottom (Fig. 17) so that three millimeters from the edge the thickness of the wood is 3 mm - this is necessary for the tightness of the connection between the bottom and the frame in the morning groove (Fig. 18).

We do the first fitting - having loosened the hoop, we put in the bottom, inserting one side of it into the groove, and then lightly hitting the rest of it with a hammer. If the bottom is tight, you need to further loosen the hoop, and if it is too loose, tighten it.

After stuffing the hoop, make sure there are no gaps. An ideal result is rarely achieved the first time. Even if the cracks are not visible to the eye, you can find them by pouring a little water into the barrel. If it flows between the rivets, it means the bottom is too big and needs to be slightly planed. It's worse if water leaks through the bottom or through the mouth groove. Then you will have to disassemble the frame and narrow one of the rivets.

Before installing the second bottom, a filling hole with a diameter of 30-32 mm should be drilled in it. The plug is made as shown in Fig. 19, its height must be no less than the thickness of the bottom, but the plug must not protrude beyond the plane of the frame edge.

How long does a barrel last?

First of all, it depends on the operating conditions. But it is important to remember that painting filling containers oil paint should not be used: it clogs the pores, which contributes to the rotting of the wood. It is advisable to paint the hoops - they will not rust. For decorative purposes, a barrel or flower tub can be treated with mordants.

The brown color of oak is given by slaked lime mixed with a 25% ammonia solution. Black - a solution of iron sulfate or an infusion of iron filings in vinegar for 5-6 days.

A decoction of the rhizomes of woodruff (Asperula odorata) colors linden and aspen red. The red-brown color comes from a decoction of onion peels, and the brown color comes from a decoction of fertilized fruit. walnut. These dyes are both brighter than chemical ones and more stable.

It is also important to remember that wood is better preserved at constant humidity. Therefore, dry containers should always be kept dry, and bulk products filled with liquid. Both cannot be placed directly on the ground. It is better to place a brick or plank under the barrel than to subsequently get rid of rot by cutting the chimes.

During the time when humanity did not have access to simple and reliable plastic packaging. A whole layer of culture has been formed associated with the production wooden mugs, barrels and other utensils.

There are a great many types of wooden barrels. Each wooden barrel serves its purpose, so the craftsmen selected the most convenient sizes and product shape. The most successful ones, the works of artisans, took root among the people and began an almost constant march from century to century, from generation to generation.

Main types of barrels

The main types of wooden barrels are shown in the pictures below.

Gang, were used for rinsing in baths and for small household needs; at the height of the fun they drank mead from them.

Steamer, a very convenient invention. Used, of course, in a Russian bath. Spilled boiling water was poured into it and brooms were placed, the whole thing was covered with a lid on top and there were broom handles in the slots.

cone barrel, used for storing various supplies in cellars, in winter period of the year.

Classic barrel, has found its use all over the world, its design is extremely durable and successful. This barrel is suitable for any wine and pickle products; in general, it is an extremely useful invention.

Fonts, were a favorite place for baptism in churches, and were also used for rinsing in cold water after the bath. During excavations, the remains of huge fonts are found. For example, in Greece a font was discovered that could fit seven people.

Barrels for pickling, and fermentations were distinguished by a conical shape and a lid with grooves. A large stone was placed on the lid as a weight. And when the weight of the stone was not enough, wedges were driven into the slots, which created even greater tension.

Perhaps the last of the barrels is still in use today - this .

Most of all, do-it-yourself spherical barrels were previously used, as they resist the action well external forces, shocks and blows; the hoops of these barrels firmly tighten the frame, successfully resist the pressure exerted by the contents of the barrel, and roll easily.

Cylindrical barrels are easy to manufacture, but are inferior in quality to convex barrels, since with slight shrinkage the hoops cannot be tightened. They are used for storing dry or thick and viscous products, but are no longer suitable for wine.

Conical barrels are also easy to make yourself. Their upper and lower bottoms various sizes. These barrels were used mainly as household utensils open type.

The barrel consists of a frame assembled from side klepchins; bottoms collected from clover klepchins; hoops (iron or wooden) holding the frame together. The design of a spherical barrel is considered strong if the following ratios are observed in the height and diameter dimensions.

The height is 20-25% greater than the diameter in the middle; The diameter in the middle is 15% larger than the diameter of the end.

The strongest is considered a barrel, the frame of which is assembled from klepchins of the same width and fastened with iron hoops.

Stages of making wooden barrels

The technology for manufacturing wooden barrels consists of the following operations: processing the riveting, assembling the frame, making and inserting bottoms, and stuffing permanent hoops.

Staves harvested from the forest are rather roughly processed planks (klepchina) rectangular shape with allowances for thickness and width for processing and drying.

To obtain klepchins and sidewalls of the required length, they are trimmed, and to give the appropriate shape, they are trimmed, making one side slightly concave, the other slightly convex, and then planed completely. Processing of side edge klepchins ends with jointing of the side edges at a certain angle to inner surface rivets.

The frame of the barrel is assembled as follows. Klepchins are placed at one end inside a temporary hoop. The other end of the klepchins is pulled together using the collar (Figure 3) and secured with a second temporary hoop.

After this, the frame is sealed: the ends are cut off, chamfers are removed from them, the frame is cleaned inside along the line of the chimes, and the chimes are cut.

The melilot klepchins are first trimmed and planed clean, then sewn into square panels using rhombic-shaped iron plates as in the figure below (position 1). The shields are planed, then circles are drawn on their surface with compasses in accordance with the diameters of the bottoms and the bottom is cut out. A chamfer is removed along the circumference of the bottom, with which it is inserted into the mouth of the frame (position 3). When inserting the bottom, the temporary hoop is removed from the end of the frame, and the second hoop is raised. In this case, the tie of the frame weakens, the clasps diverge somewhat, and the bottom fits chamfered into the mouth of the frame.

After inserting the bottom, the temporary hoops are replaced with permanent ones. Iron hoops (position 2) are stuffed in 6-9 pieces, wooden hoops in 14-16 pieces per barrel, placing them in nests of 7-8 pieces. Barrels are often made with different hoops - iron and wood. In this case, iron hoops are placed in the mouths, wooden hoops in the neck and convex part.

Determining the capacity of a barrel

Wooden barrel manufacturing technology.

The capacity of the barrel is calculated using the following formula:

  • V - barrel capacity in m3;
  • D - larger diameter in m;
  • d - smaller diameter in m;
  • h- internal height barrels in m;
  • π - constant number 3.14

You can also determine the capacity of a barrel by filling it with water from a measuring jug.

What can be compared to, for example, a cucumber or a tomato pickled in an oak tub? And in a linden barrel, honey and apple juice are perfectly stored, and you can make kvass in it. Finally, an oak tub with a lemon or laurel tree today will not spoil the interior of even a city apartment. You just can’t find these simple products either in the store or on the market. But you can make such a barrel yourself, and although this task is not an easy one, an amateur craftsman is quite capable of handling it.

Step 1. Selecting wood

Before creating a barrel with your own hands, you need to choose wood. Oak and pine are not suitable for storing honey - honey darkens in an oak barrel, and smells of resin in a pine barrel. Here we need linden, aspen, plane tree. Poplar, willow, and alder will also do. But for pickling, pickling or soaking, there is nothing better than oak - such a barrel will last for decades. For other needs, you can use sedge, beech, spruce, fir, pine, cedar, larch and even birch.

Usually the lower part of the trunk of old trees is used for rivets; it is called “riveter”. But a tinkerer will choose blanks from ordinary firewood and adapt a thin trunk to the job. It is best to make rivets from raw wood.

Step 2. Splitting the lump

First, the log - it should be 5-6 cm longer than the future stave - is split in half, gently tapping the log on the butt of the ax. Each half is then again split into two parts and so on, depending on the thickness of the chock (Fig. 1), to ultimately obtain blanks 5-10 cm wide (for sweet clover - 15 cm) and 2.5-3 cm thick. You just need to try to ensure that the split goes radially - this will protect the riveting from cracking in the future.

Step 3. Drying the workpiece and processing

The chopped pieces are dried in a room with natural ventilation for at least a month. To speed up the process, you can use a dryer. The dried workpiece is processed with a plow or sherhebel and a plane. First, the outer surface of the riveting is planed. In this case, to check the curvature of the surface, you should make a template in advance (Fig. 2), cutting it out of a thin board according to the finished product. Next, the side surfaces are planed, also checking their curvature against the template.

Riveting can be tubular - in which one end is wider than the other, and barrel - with an expansion in the middle. The magnitude of these expansions determines the taper of the tub and the convexity of the central part of the barrel. It is enough if the ratio between the widest and narrowest part of the riveting is 1.7-1.8 (Fig. 3).

Processing of the side surface is completed by jointing. It is more convenient to do this by moving the workpiece along the jointer (Fig. 4).

Step 4. Processing the riveting from the inside

At the next stage, we process the internal (in relation to the finished barrel) surface of the stave, cutting off excess wood with a plane or even an ax (Fig. 5). After this, the barrel stave can be considered ready, but the barrel stave still needs to be thinned to 12-15 mm in the middle (Fig. 6). Don't be confused by the fact that the rivets can have different widths - we take the best we can from each workpiece.

Step 5. Preparing the hoops

Barrel hoops are made of wood or steel. Wooden ones are not so durable, and they are a hundred times more hassle, so it is better to use steel ones. The hoops are made from hot-rolled steel strip with a thickness of 1.6-2.0 mm and a width of 30-50 mm.

Having measured the barrel at the place where the hoop is tensioned, we add double the width of the strip to this measurement. Using a hammer, we bend the workpiece into a ring, punch or drill holes and install rivets made of soft steel wire with a diameter of 4-5 mm (Fig. 7). One inner edge of the hoop must be flared by striking the pointed end of a hammer on a massive steel stand (Fig. 8).

Based on their location on the product, hoops are divided into fart hoops - the central hoop on the barrel, morning hoops - the outermost hoops, and neck hoops - the intermediate hoops.

Step 6. Assembling the product

A grandmother brought a crumbling tub to a handyman with a request to put it back together. Tom had never had to do this before, but he did not refuse the old woman. I came up with the following: I threw a rope on the floor and laid out rivets on it one after the other. Then he pressed them down with pillows and pulled the ends of the rope together. Gradually removing the pillows, I brought the outer rivets together and secured them with a hoop.

Coopers make it easier.

The product is assembled on any flat surface. First, two rivets are attached to the hoop opposite each other with special brackets bent from hoop iron (Fig. 9). Then, by attaching rivets to one of them, we will get to the other, which will press the assembled half of the barrel. Continue assembling until the rivets fill the entire perimeter of the hoop.

Lightly tapping the hoop with a hammer, we set it down and check whether the edges of the rivets meet tightly. To achieve contact between the rivets over the entire side surface, you need to add a rivet or pull out an extra one and then install a permanent hoop. By the way, if changing the number of rivets does not give the desired effect, you just need to narrow one of the rivets or replace the narrow one with a wider one.

Having leveled the ends of the frame with light blows of a hammer, put on the middle hoop and push it until it stops using a hammer (Fig. 10).

Step 7. Trimming the frame and final screed

Having placed the frame on a flat surface, we describe the cut line with a pencil using a block (Fig. 11). Having installed the morning hoop, we cut off the frame 2-3 mm from it and clean the ends of the rivets with a plane. We do the same with the other end of the frame.

When making a keg, after attaching the onion, neck and morning hoop on one side, the other side must first be tightened. Coopers have a special device for this - a yoke. A home craftsman can use a cable, rope, chain or wire for the same purposes. You can tie a noose and gag it, or tighten the ends of the cable with a lever (Fig. 12).

There is no need to steam or boil the core, as some experts recommend, before tightening. Occasionally, however, it happens that the riveting does not bend along its entire length, but in one place and therefore cracks. However, in such cases the cooper will prefer to simply make a new stave.

Step 8. Cleaning the frame from the inside

The assembled frame is cleaned from the inside with a plane or sherhebel, and the ends of the frame are cleaned with a humpback plane (Fig. 13).
Now you need to make a morning groove in the frame (Fig. 14). The cutter of the tool can be made from hoop iron, or even better, from a saw blade. The depth and width of the groove should be 3 mm (Figure 15).

Step 9. Making the bottom shield

First, a bottom shield is assembled from a sweet clover with a planed outer side and jointed side surfaces (Fig. 16). The clover is fastened with nails, as shown in the figure, for which nests 15-20 mm deep are pre-drilled. The radius of the future bottom is found as the side of a regular hexagon inscribed in the circle of the morning groove on the frame of the barrel. However, you need to cut out the bottom with a margin, departing from the intended circle by 1 - 1.5 mm. After cleaning with Sherhebel, chamfers are cut from the edge of the bottom (Fig. 17) so that three millimeters from the edge the thickness of the wood is 3 mm - this is necessary for the tightness of the connection between the bottom and the frame in the morning groove (Fig. 18).

Step 10. Fitting the bottom shield

We do the first fitting - having loosened the hoop, we put in the bottom, inserting one side of it into the groove, and then lightly hitting the rest of it with a hammer. If the bottom is tight, you need to further loosen the hoop, and if it is too loose, tighten it.

After stuffing the hoop, make sure there are no gaps. An ideal result is rarely achieved the first time. Even if the cracks are not visible to the eye, you can find them by pouring a little water into the barrel. If it flows between the rivets, it means the bottom is too big and needs to be slightly planed. It's worse if water leaks through the bottom or through the mouth groove. Then you will have to disassemble the frame and narrow one of the rivets.

Step 11. Installing the second bottom

Before installing the second bottom, a filling hole with a diameter of 30-32 mm should be drilled in it. The plug is made as shown in Fig. 19, its height must be no less than the thickness of the bottom, but the plug must not protrude beyond the plane of the frame edge.

Step 12. Painting

First of all, it depends on the operating conditions. But it is important to remember that you should not paint filling containers with oil paint: it clogs the pores, which contributes to the rotting of the wood. It is advisable to paint the hoops - they will not rust. For decorative purposes, a barrel or flower tub can be treated with mordants.

Gives brown color to oak slaked lime mixed with a 25% ammonia solution. A black solution of iron sulfate or an infusion of iron filings in vinegar for 5-6 days.

A decoction of the rhizomes of woodruff (Asperula odorata) colors linden and aspen red. The red-brown color comes from a decoction of onion peels, and the brown color comes from a decoction of walnut fruit. These dyes are both brighter than chemical ones and more stable.

It is also important to remember that wood is better preserved at constant humidity. Therefore, dry containers should always be kept dry, and bulk products filled with liquid. Both of them cannot be placed directly on the ground. It is better to place a brick or plank under the barrel than to subsequently get rid of rot by cutting the chimes.

But no matter how long the barrel serves, all this time it will be a pleasant reminder to the owner of the difficulties overcome in understanding the secrets of the ancient craft of the cooper.

You can buy almost everything today. But here wooden barrel, really high quality, good quality, is quite difficult to find, and besides, it is expensive. There is one more point that not everyone takes into account - it is not a fact that the finished barrel will be suitable for a specific purpose. The reason is the mismatch of wood species. The conclusion is clear - make the barrel yourself. And if you understand the drawings and the nuances of the work in detail, then it will not turn out to be in any way complicated or impossible to do with your own hands.

Pine

  • Elasticity, flexibility in bending.
  • Easily processed with household tools.
  • When the temperature rises, it will resin abundantly.
  • A characteristic smell that will be constantly present inside the barrel.
Recommendation - such wooden barrels are not used for storing food or fermenting anything.

Juniper

Strength combined with ease of processing.

Heavy weight.

Recommendation – it is advisable to use it for the manufacture of relatively small barrels for transportation (storage) of bulk materials.

Oak

  • It bends perfectly after the wood is well steamed.
  • Contains fungicides that protect structural elements barrels from rotting.

High cost of material. To make a high-quality barrel, you will have to use wood that is at least 80–100 years old.

Recommendation - if the barrel is intended for storing (fermenting) products, aging wines, and so on, then you should choose oak boards.

According to reviews from those who have already made a wooden barrel with their own hands, you can also use such types of wood as linden, ash, aspen, and mulberry.

The choice of material is a rather specific issue. If a barrel is needed to store stocks of wine (cognac, vodka), ferment (pickling) cucumbers, watermelons, apples, and so on, then best tree for her - oak. This is undeniable. But to spend such wood (taking into account its cost) to make a container with your own hands in which you are supposed to store cement, sand, bulk products, is hardly correct. Other “simpler” breeds are also quite suitable for these purposes.

The procedure for calculating barrel parameters

Based on its purpose and installation location, the dimensions and design features. There is some confusion with the concepts in everyday life. In principle, both a tub and a barrel are containers of a certain capacity that are assembled by hand from separate boards (rivets, frets in the language of professionals). The only difference is in geometry. The pictures explain everything well.

What is defined for a drawing:

  • Barrel height
  • Diameters (large and small).
  • The bending angle of the rivets and their number.

To simplify calculations, it is advisable to focus on standard data that is used by specialists when drawing up drawings of barrels.

Do-it-yourself wooden barrel - instructions

The algorithm of actions is clear from the figures, which indicate the main stages of the work.

But some explanations will not be superfluous.

Staves can be made from logs or boards. The first option is preferable, although doing it yourself is much more difficult. The fact is that only the lower part of the tree trunk, from roots to branches, is used to make a barrel. You will have to chop the logs (blocks) yourself.

What's special?

  • The ax blade must hit exactly in the center, along the diametrical line. This will make the work somewhat easier and will allow you to get high-quality rivets in more(based on each deck).
  • Boards are obtained by splitting and hewing lumps. Wood processing is always carried out along the grain, and not across it.
It is advisable to prepare at least 2 - 3 spare rivets. Why, it will become clear when describing the procedure for assembling the barrel.

To facilitate bending, the rivets are given an irregular geometry. The thickness at the ends of each board should exceed the same parameter in the center by approximately 0.2. That is, if you plan to assemble a barrel with your own hands from 10 mm boards, then they are trimmed so that in the lower and upper parts of the container their thickness is at least 12.

Drying staves

IN various sources terms are indicated that are measured in months, or even years (up to 3). On this point, it is necessary to focus on local conditions, initial porosity and its porosity. Recommendations for artificial acceleration this process not very useful when doing work with your own hands. Without practice, it is difficult to determine optimal mode for the same electrical cabinet and the time the wood is kept in it. Experienced craftsmen It is advised to wait until the moisture evaporates from the wood naturally.

You just need to place it in a room with proper conditions - a temperature of at least +20 ºС and good ventilation. You may have to wait 2 or 3 years. But a high-quality barrel is not made “in one day,” and this must be understood.

If we're talking about about containers for household purposes, then you can dry the rivets even on the stove. But in any case, a barrel is not assembled from raw boards. Within a couple of weeks (due to wood shrinkage), cracks will begin to appear between them. Verified.

Hoops

Finding metal strips and drilling holes for rivets with your own hands is easy. The only thing you should pay attention to is that it is better to take tool steel. It is characterized by increased tensile strength and corrosion resistance. If you pre-treat it with drying oil and then burn it (for example, with a blowtorch), you will get hoops of an original light brown hue.

Bottom

It is cut from a shield, which is assembled with your own hands from pre-prepared boards. Moreover, using a different technology than frets (sidewalls). Their thickness does not change along the length. To ensure the tightness of the joints, the ends are milled, that is, the assembly is carried out according to the well-known “tongue and groove” principle. In some cases, special (sealing) strips are installed.

Assembling the barrel

The sequence of actions is shown in this figure.

Such work cannot be done alone; 2 - 3 assistants will definitely be needed. The rivets are placed along the lower hoop with maximum fit. If the last board does not “fit”, it should be lightly trimmed to size. This is where spare parts come in handy, since the first, or even the second time, you may not be able to fit the “finishing” board with your own hands, without experience. A small overkill with the wood sample, and it will have to be rejected.

The penultimate stage - installing the bottom

And only after this the hoops are tightened (if they are adjustable) or finally seated in place (in height).

The last stage is sanding the wood

How to treat the outside of the barrel is decided on the spot (“sandpaper” and by hand, grinder/machine), but after that it is advisable to coat the container beeswax (thin layer). This will ensure additional protection wood from external factors.

Good luck to you, aspiring coopers!

(Last Updated On: 09.19.2017)

How to make a wooden barrel with your own hands modern society? Surely, today you won’t have to hollow out a product from a solid tree trunk, as it was before. The modern barrel is very different from its predecessors. The most important step Its production was prompted by the appearance of metal hoops, which pulled the conical dishes very tightly together.

What wood is best to make a barrel from?

oak tree

It pricks perfectly and, when steamed, acquires extraordinary flexibility. It is this quality that is highly valued. But, most importantly, oak wood contains preservative substances called tills, which protect the tree from rotting. Therefore, products in oak barrels can retain their properties for many decades.

Cedar

Also used in the manufacture of barrels. Its properties are soft, flexible and lightweight. Previously, it was believed that cedar itself contained substances that destroy microbes. Therefore, you can make a cedar barrel with your own hands, in which drinks will be stored for a very long time. for a long time and not spoil.

Juniper

The inside of the trunk has red-brown wood, and the sapwood is much lighter, yellowish in color. The wood of this tree is characterized by density, strength and heavy weight, and is very easy to process - it cuts well and does not crack.

Pine wood

It has average characteristics - low hardness and average strength, high elasticity, bends well. Due to the specific tar odor, food products are not stored in pine barrels.

How to make a barrel at home

The question of how to make a wooden barrel with your own hands worries many craftsmen who would like to master new secrets of working with wood.

To make cooperage products, rivets or frets are used. These are rectangular wooden planks, obtained by sawing the butt or trunk of a tree into separate parts. Another way is to split decks or logs.

Sawn frets are very durable. Chopped ones are more difficult to make. The most important thing is to be able to split the wood so that the rivets are clean and even, and there is little waste of wood chips left.

To make a wooden barrel with your own hands, you need to correctly split the wooden block in the direction of the radius, preferably getting into the core. If the ax hits slightly to the left or right of the core, then the chip line is called tangential. In this direction, almost all tree species split much harder.

Ordinary blocks will also be used to make rivets. Of these, you need to choose only those where the layers are located lengthwise and not across. The finished frets are dried and neatly folded.

How to make screed hoops

Iron hoops began to be used a very long time ago. Initially, they were used to tighten buckets consisting of sixteen rivets. Moreover, for strength, they were additionally pierced with nails.

Nowadays, hoops are cut from durable sheet steel, then blacksmiths decorate them with all sorts of stamped designs. The finished hoops are coated with bitumen varnish or drying oil. If the drying oil layer is dried blowtorch, you will get a beautiful light brown color.

How to assemble a conical barrel base

First, we will try to connect the prepared side rivets and temporarily tighten them with permanent hoops. To do this, attach two or three initial rivets to one of the hoops (it is better to take a small diameter one). Carefully holding each inserted board with your hand, we fill the entire space with the missing rivets. You need to insert the last rivet especially carefully. It may turn out that there is not enough space left for it. Take it and trim it a little, attaching it evenly to the rest of the rivets. This type of work is usually done with two or three assistants.

Barrel assembly diagram:

Using a hammer and a wooden drift, you need to hammer the hoop so that it sits tightly on the base of the barrel. A hoop of larger diameter is also settled.

The last operation is installing the bottom. It is carefully placed in the groove, the barrel is turned over and a large hoop is secured. If the connection is strong and reliable, then the temporary hoops are replaced with permanent ones.

Now you can imagine how to make a wooden barrel with your own hands, using only the material that everyone has on the farm.